| One Angel Square | |
|---|---|
The Co-operative Group Building | |
 One Angel Square from the adjacentCIS Tower | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | High-rise office |
| Architectural style | Contemporary / Sustainable architecture |
| Location | One Angel Square[1] Manchester M60 0AG,NOMA,Manchester, Greater Manchester, England |
| Current tenants | The Co-operative Group[8] |
| Construction started | 16 July 2010[2][3] |
| Completed | March 2013 |
| Inaugurated | 14 November 2013[4][5] |
| Cost | |
| Owner |
|
| Height | 72.5 m (238 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Three concrete cores; steel / glass frame[9] |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | 3DReid |
| Structural engineer |
|
| Other designers | Mecanoo andRoyal Haskoning (landscape architect)[11] |
| Main contractor | |
| Awards and prizes | See below |
| References | |
| [14] | |
One Angel Square[1] is ahigh-rise office building inManchester, England. Construction work began in 2010 and was completed in February 2013. The landmark building is thehead office ofthe Co-operative Group. Standing 72.5 metres (238 ft) tall, the building forms the centrepiece of the £800 millionNOMA development in the Angel Meadows area ofManchester city centre. The building cost at least £105 million to construct and was sold onleaseback terms in 2013 for £142 million.
One Angel Square is one of the mostsustainable large buildings in Europe and is built to aBREEAM 'Outstanding' rating.[12] It is powered by abiodieselcogeneration plant usingrapeseed oil to provide electricity and heat.[10] The structure makes use of natural resources, maximisingpassive solar gain for heat and usingnatural ventilation through itsdouble-skin façade,adiabatic cooling,rainwater harvesting,greywater recycling andwaste heat recycling.[15]
The building's distinctive form has been compared to a sliced egg and a ship.[16] Its design was announced by architects 3DReid in May 2009 and construction began in July 2010, with a projected completion date in March 2013. In December 2012, the scheme surpassed its pan-European sustainability aims and achieved a world-record BREEAM score of 95.32%.[17] It is also anenergy-plus building, producing surplus energy andzero carbon emissions. The building has received numerous awards for its striking aesthetic and sustainability aims.
The Co-operative Group announced plans to move from its headquarters on Miller Street andCorporation Street to a new site in theGreater Manchester area in 2008.[18] From 2008 to 2011, the group grew strongly according to CEOPeter Marks, membership doubled to six million and revenue and profits also doubled.[19] Takeovers ofSomerfield and theBritannia Building Society fuelled impetus for new head offices to accommodate the growth.[20]
In December 2008, the group announced it would remain inManchester city centre and would regenerate land opposite its Miller Street base.[21] The new building is close toAngel Meadow, the site of a 19th-century slum once described byFriedrich Engels as "hell on earth".[22] Archaeologists conducted a survey in 2010, which continued into 2012.[23]
TheCIS Tower andthe Co-operative Bank's Balloon Street headquarters were unaffected by the development.[24] New Century Hall, home toCo-operative Food,[25] the Dantzic,Hanover,Redfern and Federation Buildings were subsequently vacated and renovated forlet.[26]
In 2011, the Co-operative announced theNOMA (North of Manchester city centre) project, to regenerate a 20 acres (8.1 ha) site with office, retail, residential and hotel space to encourage visitors from the city centre.Manchester City Council contributed £20m to the project as an incentive for redevelopment.[27]
In December 2011, the Co-operative announced its new headquarters would be known as One Angel Square.[1]
Construction work began in July 2010, soon after planning permission was granted.[28] The first task was installing the 539pile foundations - each at an average depth of 18 m (59 ft).[29] Work soon began on assembling the 3,300 tonnes ofsteel and 1,948coffered concrete floor slabs which make up the structure of the building.[29]BAM Construction was the main building contractor with cost management, project management andCDM coordination provided by Gardiner & Theobald.[30] Specialist services were supplied byBuro Happold forstructural andfire engineering[10] and Austrian-basedWaagner Biro was commissioned to build the double skin façade.[11] The structure was digitally modelled by BAM before commencing assembly and construction to improve safety and create a building schedule thus saving time during the construction process.[31]
More than 4,000 workers from over 90 companies were involved in the building's construction, making it the largest building site outside South East England.[24][32] The building wastopped out in November 2011 and work began assembling the bronze-coloured diagonal panels of the exterior façade.[33] The panels were installed using roped access techniques.[34]
An estimated £17m of building materials out of the total £100m cost was locally sourced, reducingembodied energy and minimising environmental impact.[35]Mecanoo and Manchester-basedRoyal Haskoning designed thelandscape in front of the building.[11]
Construction and fitting out was originally scheduled for completion in September 2012,[36] however opening was postponed to 2013 due to delays in the fitting out process.[4] In July 2012, the Co-operative Group announced One Angel Square was on the market for £150 million onleaseback terms so it could gain capital to invest in Phase Two of the NOMA development.[37] The leaseback sale attracted nine bids from six continents.[38] In February 2013, the Group sold the building for £142 million toDWS and Gingko Tree Investments, an investment arm backed by the Chinese sovereign wealth fund.[7]
The Manchester division of 3DReid designed the building with a brief to create a green, landmark building for the city. The building's distinctive form was conceived in a notebook sketch by the lead architect for the building, Mike Hitchmough.[40] The form was refined and developed, before being unveiled to the public in May 2009.[41]
The building's interior primarily consists ofopen plan space and can accommodate up to 4,000 staff.[42] The building has 327,643 sq ft (30,439.0 m2) of total space – approximately 29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) per floor.[28] In keeping with the building's green credentials, employees are encouraged to usepublic transport orcycle to work. Facilities have been created to encourage cycling by providing 105 cycle stands.[43]
The form of the building is based on abeehive,[44] a symbol long associated with the Co-operative movement[45] and used on its buildings.[46] It has been nicknamed the 'sliced egg' because of its distinctive shape.[16] A focal point is the diagonal slice which creates a nine-floor high atrium with its glass roof tilted towards the south, maximising daylight andpassive solar gain.[47] The structure has three internal concrete cores in the form of anequilateral triangle.[47]Steel was utilised as the building main material; its strength allows for large column-free floors needed in an open plan building.[9]
The building's exterior has adouble skin façade, with a cavity between its inner windows and the outer glass panel structure. The double skin façade is for sustainability and aesthetic reasons - and allows for greater control ofheating and ventilation, and accentuates the three curved corners of the building. To accentuate the form further, the exterior aluminium structure holding the glass panels in place has beenanodised in a bronze-coloured finish, so it will shimmer in the sun. The façade was originally to be powder-coated but the client decided to spend an additional £120,000 on a bronze anodised finish. This excess was justified as being cheaper over 50 years than using a powder-coated finish which would require maintenance.[48] The building's form has been compared withThe Ark andCity Hall inLondon.[48]
The building is among the largest in Europe to have aBREEAM outstanding distinction as a result of its high, sustainable energy credentials.[49] In December 2011, the building achieved the highest recorded BREEAM score, making it one of the most sustainable large buildings in the world.[17]
The open atrium faces south to collect heat from the sun, an example ofpassive solar building design.[49] The diagonal slice is angled to the south to allow sunlight to pass into the upper floors and atrium. The sun emitselectromagnetic radiation in the form ofultraviolet, but changes toinfrared when it passes through glass. This creates heat inside the building and overheating will be countered by five stepped curved shades above the atrium which prevent sunlight overheating the building and stops glare. In winter, louvres atop the double-skin façade are closed to maintain the warm air generated in the building. In summer, the opposite occurs and louvres atop the double-skin façade open and consequently expel hot, rising air from the building to reduce overheating.[50]
The building's sustainablecogeneration heat and power plant uses bio-fuel and wastecooking oil. Its computer systems will recyclewaste heat. The building has a used water recycling system andrainwater harvesting.[49]Thermal mass materials which have a high density such as concrete are used to control temperature fluctuations.
One Angel Square is the only commercial building in the United Kingdom to achieve maximum ratings in energy and sustainability performance by the three main rating systems.[51] It hasBREEAM 'Outstanding' accreditation and an A-ratedEnergy Performance Certificate andDisplay Energy Certificate.
The building has been awarded:
The construction of The Co-operative Group's new £100m head office in Manchester, which officially began today (16 July), is set to have an immediate impact
Another major building project is the new £100m Co-operative Group head office in Manchester city centre - the UK's largest construction site outside the south east
Recognised by an elite international investor profile including 9 bids from 6 continents.
Original notebook sketch of The Co-operative's new head office by Mike Hitchmough, lead architect for the development
53°29′17″N2°14′14″W / 53.4880°N 2.2373°W /53.4880; -2.2373
